Liam Mateer slashes on his forehand for Shorecliffs Middle School en route to victory March 25 in the boys shortboard final at a Scholastic Surf Series contest at the San Clemente Pier. (Photo by Fred Swegles, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Aidan Sautner of Shorecliffs Middle School was runner-up in longboarding at an SSS Orange County surf contest at the San Clemente Pier. (Photo by Fred Swegles, Orange County Register/SCNG)

The Shorecliffs Middle School surf team of San Clemente lines up for a photo after winning its fifth straight Scholastic Surf Series contest of the Orange County season, taking the team title. (Photo by Fred Swegles, Orange County Register/SCNG)

People watch from the San Clemente Pier as Scholastic Surf Series competitors battle in the finals of an Orange County middle-school contest March 25. (Photo by Fred Swegles, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Kai McPhillips of Shorecliffs Middle School was a two-division finalist -- shortboard and longboard. (Photo by Fred Swegles, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Dane Matson shows support for Shorecliffs Middle School teammate Dane Corbett after seeing Corbett pull into a close-out barrel and emerge during the bodyboard final at an SSS contest at San Clemente Pier. (Photo by Fred Swegles, Orange County Register/SCNG)

What was that ship off the coast of San Clemente on Saturday during the SSS surf contest? It was a vessel of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. (Photo by Fred Swegles, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Fishermen anticipate dinner while a NOAA ship cruises off the San Clemente Pier on March 25. (Photo by Fred Swegles, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Two girls who ventured delicately into the cold ocean to retrieve a stick exult as they pulled it off without getting very wet. (Photo by Fred Swegles, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Griffin Glenn from Bernice Ayer Middle School carves his longboard during SSS finals March 25 at the San Clemente Pier. (Photo by Fred Swegles, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Bathers look a little hesitent entering a 59-degree ocean in San Clemente on March 25. (Photo by Fred Swegles, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Kai McPhillips outsurfed five other finalists to take the boys longboard division at an SSS contest March 25 at the San Clemente Pier. (Photo by Fred Swegles, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Caden Burton from Bernice Ayer Middle School races the curl in the bodyboard final at a Scholastic Surf Series Orange County contest at the San Clemente Pier. (Photo by Fred Swegles, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Brayden Burch of Shorecliffs Middle School was runner-up in boys shortboarding at an SSS contest at the San Clemente Pier on March 25. (Photo by Fred Swegles, Orange County Register/SCNG)

The bag of Cheetos is empty, but you can hardly blame this seagull for being fooled because there no doubt was some lingering aroma from those cheesy puffs. (Photo by Fred Swegles, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Shorecliffs Middle School's Dane Matson launches into an aerial rotation during the boys shortboard final at a Scholastic Surf Series Orange County contest March 25. (Photo by Fred Swegles, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Chris Early from Don Juan Avila was the bodyboard winner at a Scholastic Surf Series Orange County contest March 25 at the San Clemente Pier. (Photo by Fred Swegles, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Elle Emery from Marco Forster Middle School accepts congratulations after winning the girls shortboard division at a Scholastic Surf Series contest at San Clemente Pier. Tess Booth of Thurston Middle School was runner-up. (Photo by Fred Swegles, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Five of the six boys shortboard finalists in an SSS Orange County contest March 25 were from Shorecliffs Middle School. Nico Coli, pictured, finished third. (Photo by Fred Swegles, Orange County Register/SCNG)

A friendly chat, a bite to eat and a photographer recording a talented surfer in the water make up this scene at a March 25 Scholastic Surf Series contest at the San Clemente Pier. (Photo by Fred Swegles, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Callan Emery racks up points for Marco Forster Middle School of San Juan Capistrano in the boys shortboard final at a Scholastic Surf Series Orange County Contest on March 25 in San Clemente. (Photo by Fred Swegles, Orange County Register/SCNG)

The moment of truth arrives for Shorecliffs Middle School teammates Carolyn Sachse, left, and Taylor Stacy, as they learn which one has won the girls longboard title at a Scholastic Surf Series contest at San Clemente Pier. Stacy got the judges' nod. (Photo by Fred Swegles, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Shorecliffs Middle School of San Clemente is undefeated in five Scholastic Surf Series Orange County contests this year, and it was easy to see why at the season finale Saturday, March 25 at the San Clemente Pier.

Shorecliffs and Thurston Middle School of Laguna Beach finished 1-2 out of seven schools, but Shorecliffs, the defending NSSA national champion, was dominant, collecting 286 points to 130.5 for runner-up Thurston.

San Clemente’s Bernice Ayer Middle School was third, San Juan Capistrano’s Marco Forster Middle School fourth and Niguel Hills Middle School fifth.

In boys shortboarding, the top-performance division of the event, Shorecliffs surfers occupied five of the six slots in the final.

Shorecliffs’ Kai McPhillips, who took sixth, won the longboard division, in which Shorecliffs surfers went 1-2-3.

Elle Emery of Marco Forster outpointed Tess Booth of Thurston and four other finalists to win girls shortboarding. Chris Early of Don Juan Avila decisioned Seth Lyon of Niguel Hills and four other finalists to win bodyboarding.

At Oceanside, three of the five division winners in a Surfing America Prime West Coast invitational March 25 were from San Clemente.

Cole Houshmand won the Boys Under 18 division, Kirra Pinkerton won Girls Under 16 and Jett Schilling won Boys Under 16.

Pinkerton also took second in Girls Under 18. Schilling took second in Boys Under 14. San Clemente’s Kade Matson was a two-division finalist, second in Boys Under 16, third in Boys Under 18.

Tyler Gunter of Newport Beach was second in Boys Under 18. San Clemente’s Crosby Colapinto was third in Boys Under 16. Laguna Beach’s Kayla Coscino was third in Girls Under 16. San Clemente’s Samantha Sibley was fourth in Girls Under 18.

Fred Swegles grew up in small-town San Clemente before the freeway. He has covered the town since 1970. Today he covers San Clemente and San Juan Capistrano. He was in the second graduating class at San Clemente High School, after having spent the first two years of high school in double sessions at historic Capistrano Union High School in San Juan. When the new high school opened, he became first sports editor of the school paper, The Triton. He studied journalism and Spanish at USC on scholarship, graduating with honors. Was sports editor of the Daily Trojan. Surfed on the USC surf team. (High school surfing didn't exist back then.) With the Sun Post, he began covering competitive surfing from the mid-1970s, with the birth of the the modern world tour and the origins of high school surf teams. He got into surf photography and into world travel. Has surfed on six continents (not Antarctica). Has visited 11 San Clementes. Has written photo-illustrated profiles on most of them, with more in the works.

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